I'm Sick, Help Me! Revised
by KrystalClear101
Summary: After May falls deathly ill, Ash takes serious precautions to help her get better. But will hepling May get better help him realize his true feelings for her? How will she react to his constant attention? Advanceshipping. Chapter 4 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! This is the revised edition!**

**All: Yay!**

**Kris: Alrighty then, who shall I pick to do my disclaimer?**

**May: Why do you have to do it every time?**

**Ash: It's to make sure no one sues her.**

**Kris: And I don't want to be sued…at least not right now…**

**AJ: Getting sued is fun!**

**Mikey: Um…no…Suing people is fun…not getting sued.**

**AJ: That too!**

**Kris: Anyway…I am not the owner of pokémon…so don't sure me!**

**All: Start the party!**

Chapter 1

River

Distressed calls rung throughout the densely covered forest as a young girl lay on the forest floor, unconscious. Three bodies surrounded her, making many attempts to wake only to have them end in vain. One of them, her brother, shed a few tears as he knelt next to her motionless body. A few feet away from him was a good friend of theirs. He stood over the girl with a disturbed expression as another friend of theirs continued to try to wake her up.

"May wake up! Come on!" Ash shouted for one final time to receive no response like before. The eldest of the group, Brock, placed the back of his hand on her forehead to check her temperature only to snatch his hand back because of the heat that was emitting from her forehead.

"Kachu pi…" Pikachu whimpered as it licked her hand.

"May…please wake up…please." Max sobbed. He let his head fall onto her cold shoulder.

"She has a critical fever. There's no time to waste, we have to get her to a hospital. Fast." Brock said in a serious tone. Ash nodded and looked at her paling face once more.

"Just hang in there May." He whispered as he tried to remember how this all happened.

_Ash and the gang were on their way to the next town so they could finally have a goodnight's rest for the first time in a long time. The only thing standing in their way was a dangerous looking river with no safe way of getting across. Brock contemplated with himself on how to get the kids on the other side safely._

"_Hey Ash, can you call out your Sceptile to cut down one of those trees so we can use it to get across here?" he asked the younger trainer._

"_Sure. Sceptile! Come on out!" He shouted, tossing the pokéball in the air._

_Once Sceptile had successfully used leaf-blade on one of the trees and had laid it over the river, the only thing left to do was walk across. So they started with Brock in front, Ash next, then Max, and finally May. As they walked along they were about 5 feet away from each other. But as each made it across the tree began to slip off the edge making it harder to get across each time._

"_Whoa!" Max shrieked as he stumbled forward, glad that he was already across anyway. But May was the last to cross. As soon as she was halfway across the tree slipped off the edge and began to drift down the raging waters._

"_Oh my gosh!" She shrieked as she fell into the water._

"_May!" Max shouted as she plunged deep into the liquid._

"_Guys we gotta help her." Ash said as he ran down the river. They saw her pop out of the water gasping for air with her hand out stretched._

"_Help!" She screamed. Ash bent down and extended his hand out to her._

"_Quick, grab my hand!" He shouted. She fumbled wildly in the air trying to grab his hand and managed to grasp it. _

"_Gotcha! Now help me pull her up guys." He commanded to the males behind him. Everything was going fine until the tree from before came rolling down the river._

"_Look out!" Brock was the first to notice as they looked over and saw it coming straight towards May._

"_No…" she whispered as she saw the distressed look on his face._

"_Come on guys, hurry!" Ash shouted. He looked in May's eyes and saw nothing but pure fear._

"_No, Ash don't let go. Please." She cried in fear. As seconds passed, the tree came closer and closer. So close that if they did pull May up soon, she would be crushed. Ash only had one choice._

_He let go._

"_Ash!" She screamed as she tried to reach for his hand again but the tree impeded her._

"_May!" He shouted as he began to run along side the river trying to find her again. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find her. "May…I'm sorry." He whispered as he looked at the waters crashing against the shore._

_After effortless attempts at dodging rocks, May finally made her way to the shore where she collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Her breathing was coarse as she lay there trying to pump the well-needed air back into her lungs. Her entire body hurt from falling into the water and being scratched by the many sharp rocks and from being nearly killed by and rampaging tree._

_She tried to sit up, but found it very difficult. After many tries she able to stand up and walk slowly towards where she thought her friends might be searching for her. A sharp wind pressed by her, reminding her that she was soak from head to toe and that if she didn't get a dry set of clothes soon things could be looking pretty bad._

"_This is h-horrible. I-I don't know where I am and it's starting to get c-cold." She rubbed her arms up and down trying to stay warm but found it hard since they were covered in scratches. As she continued on, her breathing got worse and she began to cough repeatedly. The coughs got to the point where she needed to lean on a tree for support. She knelt down clutching her stomach tightly and continued to cough until she blacked out._

.-.

_In another part of the forest, the rest of the group was searching for the girl whom they had lost minutes before. The sound of their voices echoed throughout the area as they continued to look. Ash felt a pain in his chest every time he said her name._

"_May! Where are you?" he called out. After a few more minutes of searching, they heard sickening coughing in the distance. They looked at one another and started running towards where it was coming from. Then all of the sudden the coughing just stopped. They continued to run until Pikachu picked up May's scent in the air._

"_Pika pi! Kachu pi Pikachu!" he jumped from Ash's shoulder and pointed in a certain direction before sprinting away with them following. As they rounded the next couple of trees, they spotted her body on ground, unmoving._

Ash quickly shook those thoughts from his head and placed the girl on his back and secured her safely.

"I'll take her. Max, where's the closest hospital?" He asked the boy.

"Are you sure Ash?" Brock asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm the only one fastest enough to get her to where she needs to go." He explained with a distant look in his eyes.

"The nearest hospital is too far to walk, but there's a pokémon center not too far from here. Just keep straight and you'll see it." Max said as he continued to stare at his sister on his best friend's back.

"That'll have to do. You guys meet me there later. Don't worry, I'll get her there. Pikachu, you stay with Brock and Max okay buddy?" he said. Pikachu responded with a nod and jumped into Max's arms. "I'm off." With that, he took off running in the direction Max told him.

"Just hang on May. I'll get you there." He said as he rushed through the forest, trying to get to the pokémon center as soon as possible.

"Don't let go…Ash…" he heard a low whisper. His grip on her tightened as his speed increased. All the while he continued to blame himself. But his mood lightened up when he saw the pokémon center just ahead of him. He sprinted the last few yards and stormed through the doors.

"Help! My friend is in critical condition!" He yelled. Nurse Joy came from behind the counter and examined May carefully.

"Go get a stretcher Chansey. This girl needs medical attention, stat!" the Nurse commanded. Ash took a step back and watched the nurse go to work as they pulled May into the emergency room and the red light above the door flashed on. That's when the worry began.

**Kris: There's a lot more drama and explanation in there than in the original version.**

**May: You nearly killed me!**

**Ash: Yeah!**

**May: I was talking about you!**

**Ash: Wha?**

**Mikey: You're the one who let go.**

**Ash: But…but…I have a good excuse!!!**

**AJ: Well you know what dad? Excuses are like booty!!!**

**Mikey: Yah! Everyone has one and they all stink!!! LMAO!! That's funny.**

**AJ: Comical genius!!! **

**Kris: Anyway, stay tuned for the revised chapter two.**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Ready for chapter two?**

**May: I was born ready.**

**Brendan: That is SO my line.**

**Ash: Where does this guy come from?**

**All: Who knows?**

**May: Whatever Brendan, that's why Kris has a crush on you!**

**Kris: Wha?**

**Brendan: She does?  
**

**Kris: Um…uh…I don't own pokémon!**

**All: Hmmm….**

Chapter 2

Connection

The raven-haired trainer sat in one of the cushioned lobby chairs of the pokémon center waiting for results from his friend May and the arrival of Brock and Max. During his wait he couldn't keep his mind free of why he was in the lobby in the first place.

'It's all my fault. If I hadn't of let go, she'd be okay. But…"

"_No, Ash don't let go. Please." _

He tightly clenched his eyes closed and pounded his fists on the cushion. The bright light stung his eyes as they began to refocus themselves. Feeling distressed, he ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. Soon the sliding doors opened and he heard his name being called.

"Ash!" Brock yelled as he ran to him, Pikachu and Max not far behind.

"Hey guys." He said in a low tone as he held Pikachu in his arms. Brock looked distraught as Max came trudging in behind, his eyes bloodshot.

"Any news on May?" Brock asked. Ash shook his head and looked towards the door that she disappeared behind just moments before.

"She's been in there for about 10 minutes. What do you think is wrong with her?" Ash asked as they decided to sit down. Brock rested his elbows on his knees as he too looked at the double doors.

"I don't know Ash. Her body had two different temperatures. Her forehead was dangerously warm while her arms were freezing cold. Her breathing was coarse too. My guess is that she was coughing really hard before everything started to look bleak. I just hope Nurse Joy can help her." He sighed and looked over at Max he was knelt in the corner with his head in his hands. Brock got up and walked over to him.

"Come on Max, let's go call your parents." Brock led Max over to the individual videophones, leaving Ash to sit with Pikachu while they waited for May's recovery. While they were sitting there, Pikachu noticed how Ash seemed to keep to himself.

"Pika pi? Kachu pika?" He lightly touched Ash's arm and looked up at him with a worried expression. He watched as Ash's face darkened slightly as he gave a small smile.

"…It's my fault Pikachu. I could've saved her…but…I let go." He held his head down as he hugged Pikachu tightly. "It's my fault." He cried.

"Pika pi…" it also cried.

.-.

Max sighed as he dialed his house phone number and held the phone up to his ear, waiting for his mother's picture to appear on the screen. The wait was getting worse and worse with each passing second. Just when it felt as if he was about to lose his mind, he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder and seemed to calm down. After a few more rings Caroline answered the phone and her cheerful expression popped on the screen just like he predicted.

"Max? Hi honey! I haven't heard from you in awhile. How is everything?" She asked with a smile. Max's gaze lowered. He felt as if he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Mom, May is…is…" he began to stutter as he hands began to shake.

"What is it? What's this about May?" Her tone of voice went up, as did her expression.

"She's sick…real bad." He said. He watched the terrified look on her face as he went on.

"What?" she whispered.

"…She's in critical condition. We don't know what's gonna happen now. You and Dad gotta come." He finished. Caroline looked as if she had seen a ghost as she nodded slowly.

"I'll tell your father and we'll be there tonight; tomorrow at the latest. Don't worry, everything's going to be okay honey, be strong and I'll see you soon. I love you." She gave a smile only a mother could give.

"I…love you too mom." He shed one tear as her face disappeared. "Bye…" he placed the phone back on the hook and stood up slowly. Brock kept his hand on his shoulder as they walked back to wear Ash was dealing with his own problems.

"You did a really brave thing just now Max." Brock gave a smile to the younger boy as he sniffled slightly and wiped his tears on his arm. Soon they were all sitting in the lobby in silence, waiting for any type of reassuring sign that their fallen friend would be okay. Any sign that her condition was not as bad as they feared. Any sign that would lift the encumbering burden from their shoulders that got heavier and heavier with each passing minute.

But there was no such sign uplifting their spirits in any kind of way shape or form. Just silence, pure sickening silence that would drive anyone off the edge. Ash found himself with his head in his hands and his thoughts full of remorse and angst that he just couldn't shake. It got to the point where his mind couldn't think anything but pessimistic thoughts.

.-.

The sun had long since disappeared behind the horizon causing the evening hours to edge on. The pokémon center was in a fairly remote area surrounded by many trees that kept it hidden for the most part. There were not many trainers who passed stopped by so there were no faces popping in and out of the door.

Hours had passed since May was emitted into the emergency room and there was still no sign of or clarification. By this time, the boys were hungry, restless, stressed and to the point where being called insane would be an understatement.

"Guys…she's been in there for a long time now…" Max muttered under his breath. He gained a stare from Brock.

"…You don't think tha-" he stopped in mid-sentence after Ash spoke against his next phrase.

"Don't even think like that Max!" Ash yelled catching the younger boy off guard and somewhat sending him back into a state of depression.

"Calm down you two." Brock said in a calm voice. "What we probably need to do is get some rest." He suggested. Ash shot up out of his chair, startling Pikachu.

"How can you expect me to get some rest when May is in there possibly fighting for her life! I can't do that knowing that it's my fault she's like that! All this time we've been sitting here I kept thinking that I could've done more…" he said as he looked at the ground.

"Look Ash, you did all the could." Brock tried to reason with the boy.

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't the one…the one who let go…" he whispered to himself as he slumped back into the lobby chair and clamped his hands together, staring up at the ceiling.

"Ash…" Max whispered as he looked at his friend with apologetic eyes. A few more minutes passed with the trio staying rooted in that one spot without the exchange of glances or any kind of communication.

"Max? Are you here?" A female voice called throughout the empty center beckoning Max to turn around. He was greeting by the face of his mother who carried a two suitcases and a worried look.

"Mom!" he shouted as he ran to her. She immediately dropped her bags and embraced her son warmly, while stroking his hair gently in her fingers. He sobbed on her shoulder and hugged tightly as if never to let go.

"I got here as soon as I could sweety. How are you? Is everyone alright? Have you heard anything about your sister yet?" she asked in a frantic voice. She released him from the embrace and stared in his dull, bloodshot red eyes. She stroked his cheek gently, waiting for a reply.

"I…I'm fine mom. May's still in there though. We don't know what's going on." He shed a few more tears as he began explaining things to his mother. She nodded fearfully and wiped a fear tears from his cheek. She gave a weak smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"May is going to be alright. Don't give up on her yet, she's fighter remember?" she winked at him through her sorrow and he smiled weakly and nodded.

"Thanks Mom." He said. She nodded and stood up straight, picking up her bags with her. After their mother-son scene was over, the two walked over to where Brock and Ash were and joined them in waiting.

"Hello boys." She said as she walked up to them. Ash gave a small smile as Brock stood up to greet her.

"Hi Mrs. Maple. I'm glad you were able to make it." He said. She nodded and took a seat next to Max on one of the lobby chairs.

"Do you have any idea what might be wrong with May?" Brock asked the older woman. Caroline nodded tearfully as she placed Max's hand in her own, gaining a stare from the younger boy.

"Actually, I do. Before Max was born and May was about three, the same thing happened to May. One fall day, it was raining very hard outside. With Norman or I knowing it, May had slipped outside. She was gone for about thirty minutes before we found her out cold on the sidewalk near our house." She paused a minute before continuing.

"It was the scariest thing I had ever seen. It was like her body had two different temperatures and they were very unsteady. Her forehead was very hot but the rest of her body was cold, almost like ice. That same day, we took her to the nearest hospital where she stayed all night until the doctors could find some cure for whatever she had. Norman and I prayed to God that was would be okay. Somehow our prayers were answered because the next day she was awake already looking much better. But I have yet to find out what made her so ill." She said.

"I was so afraid that this would come back to haunt her while she was on her journey and it looks like this nightmare as come true." She cried silently as they all waited in even more silence. Soon the red light began to flicker on and off causing heartbeats to increase and heads to go down in prayer as fear raced through their minds controlling their thoughts.

Finally the light flicked off and stayed off. Everyone stood up as Nurse Joy came out of the emergency room with a bland expression. She walked over to the group slowly as if adding on to their insanity.

"We did everything we could for your friend. And she's going to be just fine. We managed to level out her temperature to a normal level and breathing is steady as well. She's awake now if you would like to see her." She smiled as they all exhaled a well needed breath an followed the nurse inside.

The room was fairly small with all white walls, a ceramic tiled floor with different types of machines everywhere. There was May, with several tubes sticking out of her body and her eyes slightly open staring at the ceiling. One by one, Ash and the other's entered the room; Ash and Brock on one side and Caroline and Max on the other.

"Hey…what's going on?" she asked in sleepy tone. Carolina felt the memories of May's previous conditions flood her mind as she saw her daughter in this state.

"Oh May, I'm so glad you're alright. You don't know how worried I was." Caroline lightly touched May's somewhat warm hand. May looked up at her mother.

"Mom? When did you get here? What…what happened?" she looked at the faces of her friends searching for answer. At last her eyes landed on Ash who seemed troubled.

"Ash…" she whispered before slowly closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"May…" Max whispered her name slightly before Nurse Joy came up to them.

"She needs her rest for now. You are all welcome to stay in the rooms we have available here if you like." She offered them. They all nodded; all but Ash. He stayed there and stared at May's sleeping form.

"Ash, are you coming?" Brock asked. It took a minute for him to answer.

"No…I'm staying here…I can do that much." He muttered to Brock, still looking at May as he pulled up a chair to sit at her bedside.

**Kris: That is the end!**

**Brendan: So Kris…what's this about you having a crush on me? Hmm?**

**Kris: I don't have a crush on you!!! May's lying!  
**

**May: Oh yeah, then how come you made Brendan your boyfriend in chat room?**

**All: True!!!**

**AJ: Why would she have a crush on Brendan if 1. May had a child with him in one of her stories and 2. Brendan died in the same story?**

**All: Also True!!!**

**May: You make a good argument daughter. I shall let you slide this once Krystal, because of my daughter's convincing words, but NEVA AGAIN!!!**

**Kris: Okay…wow? Anyway…**

**All: Review! 4 Sure!!!**

**R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! **

**May: I have more proof!**

**AJ: Mom, give it a rest.**

**Brendan: Yeah May, I want to go home!**

**May: Stop complaining you baby!**

**Kris: Er…what are you talking about?**

**May: You like Brendan!!!**

**Kris: No I don't!**

**Brendan: You don't like me?  
**

**Kris: Yes!**

**May: Proof!**

**Kris: Shut up!  
**

**AJ: Oi…KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start the party!**

Chapter 3

Guilt

_(Dream Sequence)_

_Everything around him was dark. He couldn't see a thing. It was as if he were trapped in a box with no way out. He looked around and everywhere he turned, there was nothing but black. Gaining a nervous feeling in his stomach, Ash took a step forward. With every step he took, there was an eerie echoing sound that emitted from what he assumed to be the walls._

"_Hello?" he called, only to hear the sound of his own voice bouncing back in forth. He developed a disturbed look on his face. Suddenly, a sharp wind swept past him sending shivers up and down his spine. His first natural reaction was to rub the sides of his arms, which were covered in goose bumps._

"_Where the heck am I?" he called out. He turned around once more. He then saw someone was here with him. He gave a sigh of relief and began walking over to the person. From the looks of it, the person seemed to be a girl. She looked familiar to him, but he brushed the thought away as he reached out to grabbed her shoulder._

"_Hey…" he started. He slowly drew his hand back though, and stared at it. It was wet. He then brought his gaze up and stared back at the girl. Slowly, she began to react to his touch as her body turned to face him. As he was waiting to see her face, he felt the air grow tense and thin. Then the horror hit him._

"_May?" he gasped as she fully turned around to face him. But it wasn't the May he had known for years. She looked pitiful and it broke his heart. Her hair was unkempt and she looked completely soaked to the bone. Her face and body was pale and she resembled a sick person, the complete opposite of who she really was._

_But the thing that scared him the most was her eyes. Her once luminous azure eyes that held such wonder, such joy were now dull and lifeless. It was the thing that scared him the most. The way she stared at him like he wasn't there._

"_What happened to you?" he asked as he grabbed her shoulders, ignoring the damp feeling in his fingers. Her body felt limp in his hands as he looked in her eyes desperately. She stayed completely still, not hearing a word he said._

"…_Ash…" he heard her in a low whisper. He continued to stare in disbelief. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, but not tight enough to hurt her. Slowly, he felt her sinking in his arms, as if she were falling. And when he looked down…she was gone._

"_May!"_

Ash woke up with a start. His heart racing faster and faster with each passing second until it paced back to a normal speed. He looked around the room he was in as flashbacks from the day before recurred in his mind as he began to calm down.

'_That's right, I stayed here last night with May.' _He said to himself as he looked around the room. He gave a sigh and ran a stiff hand through his hair. He kept seeing the dream in his head and it scared him.

'_I never want to see her like that again. Never.'_ With that, he rested his head in his hands and developed a bored look on his face.

"Ash?" that sweet voice called. Ash shot up from his current position to look at the source of the call. He looked over at the person lying in the bed and noticed that she was now fully awake and staring at him. A smile graced his face as he gazed at the girl.

"May? You're awake." He exclaimed and scooted closer to her bedside. He felt a flash of relief pass over him as he stared into those eyes of hers. They were back to their normal shimmer and it did his heart good to look deeply into them.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"I don't know. I guess I'm tired." She admitted with a slight shrug.

"What are you doing in here? What am I doing in here? And what…am I wearing?" she asked strangely while looking down at her body. She looked around the hospital room and finally noticed that recurring beeping noise. She saw a tube connected to her arm and machines all around her.

"Calm down May. You're at the pokémon center." Ash explained, trying to ease her suspense. She nodded slowly and leaned back against the head board of the bed. She gave a sigh and looked at him.

"What _are_ you doing in here, Ash?" she asked. He looked at her nervously and began to scratch the back of his head.

"I kinda stayed in here last night to make sure that you were okay." He admitted. May's eyes widened in shock.

"You did that? Wow…I don't know what to say." She gave a smile. He blushed lightly.

"I felt like it was the least I could do after what happened." He said in a grim tone. May looked at him curiously, wondering why his expression changed so quickly.

"What happened?" she asked. Ash looked up at her straight face.

"You mean you don't remember?" May shook her head and looked down at her lap.

"The last thing I remember was falling in the water and then walking around in a forest or something. The rest is blurry…" he nodded.

"After you fell in the water we went looking for you. We found you unconscious in front of a tree. So I carried you to the nearest pokémon center and Max called your mom. You woke up for a couple minutes last night but that's all that's happened." He finished.

"I remember seeing my mom but I thought it was a dream." She paused for a second as her gaze switched to his eyes. "You look uncomfortable…what's wrong?" she asked cautiously. Ash wiggled uncomfortably in his seat and stared at the pearly white sheets.

"It was my fault May." He said just above a whisper.

"Wha…" May said in a confused tone.

"If I had just held on tighter…you'd be okay. But I didn't and now you're sick and there's nothing I can do about it. I felt so…so helpless when Nurse joy took you away." He said. May stared at him with a tearful expression as he continued on.

"I let you down and there's nothing to make up for it." He gritted his teeth and clinched his eyes while gripped the sheets tightly in his hands. May couldn't take it any longer. On an impulse, she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as her weak arms could.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!" she shouted at him, throwing him off guard. "Not once have you ever let me down and you never will. So please, stop beating yourself up over this. I can't stand seeing you this way." She sobbed fitfully into his chest. Ash was shocked. The only thing he could do was carefully wrap his arms around her small frame and hugged her warmly.

"Please…" she whispered as her cries calmed down a bit. Ash patted her on the back until she pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes and staring at him. He felt a pain in his heart at the sight of her crying. "You've always been there for me. You never hesitate to help or protect me and if it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't have made it. So thank you. And no more feeling guilty. All right?" she gave him a wave smile as she sniffled.

"All right." He nodded with an evident blush on his cheeks which May noticed.

"Oh…I'm sorry for breaking down on you like that. It must've made you uncomfortable." She shifted uneasily and frowned with her own blush. Ash gave a laugh, causing her to look up.

"Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting better, okay?" She smiled and looked down, but immediately clutched her stomach before an embarrassing sound erupted from it causing her blush to deepen. What was even stranger was that the sound didn't just come from her. She looked up to see Ash also holding his abdomen with a sheepish grin on his face.

"I guess it's time from breakfast huh?" he scratched behind his head. May giggled and nodded with a happy grin on her face.

"I suppose it is." She replied. Ash pushed his chair back away from the bed and stood up.

"I'm gonna head down to the cafeteria. Any requests? Wait…I should probably ask Nurse Joy what you can eat, shouldn't I?" May gave a sigh and gestured for him to leave.

"Just bring me back some soup. I'm sure I'll be able to eat that." He nodded and disappeared from behind the door. May sat there on the bed, in silence. The room suddenly became quiet and lonely. She sighed and brought the sheets up to her chest and she sunk back down on the bed, no longer leaning back on the headboard.

'_Hmm…I wonder where Pikachu was…maybe he's with Brock. Heh, Ash really cares about me.'_ She smiled as she recalled his confession but then she scolded herself. _'Get a hold of yourself May! He would've done the same thing with any of his friends, or pokémon for that matter.'_ At that, she frowned and began absentmindedly staring at the walls.

.-.

Ash was deep in thought as he walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria. His mind kept reverting back to what May had said to him. It hit him deep, deeper than he thought it would've or should've for that matter. He entered the quiet cafeteria still lost in thought.

'_I wasn't expecting her to just hug me like that. She seemed like she was worried about me or something. Does she really care about me that much?'_ he quickly shook those thoughts away and spotted Brock, Max, and Caroline sitting at a booth eating breakfast. As he approached the table, they all looked up.

"Hey Ash, how'd you sleep?" Brock was the first one who spoke up.

"As well as you could in a chair." He gave a laugh as he rubbed his back. "How about you guys?" he asked.

"I suppose you and I are in the same boat. I didn't sleep at all last night. I was so worried about May." Caroline replied, fingering her coffee mug. "By the way, how is she?" she asked with a hopeful expression in her soft eyes.

"She's a lot better than she was yesterday. I just came down here to get something to eat." He explained.

"I'm glad." She smiled and took a sip of the black beverage.

"What about you, Ash? How are you dealing with this?" Brock asked with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm fine. I got a chance to talk to May and she…helped me realize that there's no reason to feel bad about what happened. That doesn't mean I still don't, though." He finished with a downcast look. Caroline picked on their conversation.

"Feel bad? About what?" she asked, looking around the table.

"He thinks it's his fault that May is sick." Max piped up. Caroline gave Ash a confused look.

"She fell in the river and I had a chance to pull her up but…I couldn't and now she's in the hospital. Yesterday I felt so useless that I didn't want to leave her side. I felt that I had to at least do that." He said with a frown on his face. He looked up when he noticed Caroline was now standing before him.

"Thank you." She said with a warm smiled while placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked taken aback. "I'm going to take May's side on this when I say that you have no reason to feel bad. Both May and Max are lucky to have someone as caring as you for a friend. And me? I'm grateful for what you did." She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze then removed her hand.

"You're welcome." He nodded with a light blush tingling his cheeks. _'I see where May gets it from now.'_ He thought to himself. Giving them one last wave, he walked towards the line where he picked up a tray with a bowl of chicken soup and a plate of short stacks for himself.

**Kris: My inspiration for this chapter was when I looked at the last time I updated!**

**Brendan: That's just embarrassing…**

**Kris: Shut it!**

**Brendan: See, that proves that you don't like me.**

**Kris: No, that proves that you like insulting me like everyone else that I invite to this place.**

**Brendan: True…**

**Kris: Anywho…I hope you enjoyed this. I'm not too sure when the next one will be but I thought I owed this to you guys.**

**May: Hmm…I have to find more proof of you guys' secret romance…**

**Brendan: Who said this was a two-way street?**

**May: Oh come off it Brenda! You know you like Kris.**

**Brendan: My name is not Brenda!**

**May: And you didn't deny your infatuation!**

**Kris: Ugh! Security!**

**May: Wha-**

**Brendan: Ha! You called security on her!**

**Kris: I'm so evil…**

**AJ: That was funny, anyway…**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kris: Hi! Hi! Everyone! Something exciting happened!**

**AJ: What?**

**Kris: Meh…I don't know if I want to tell you or not…**

**All: What?! **

**Kris: Haha! I know a secret and you don't!**

**May: Way to be mature…how old are you again?**

**Kris: None of your business! Anywho, this is chapter 4 guys!**

**Mikey: 4…is…evil!!!**

**Kris: Would you get out!!!**

**Mikey: Never!**

**May: It's neva! I thought I raised you better than that!**

**AJ: Weird…KrystalClear101 is not the owner of pokémon.**

**All: Start the party!**

Chapter 4

Feed Me Please

May laid awake in her room, the only audible sounds coming from the machine next to her. She breathed out a slow sigh, causing her bangs to float up slight before resting back on her forehead. Thoughts were running through her mind as she absentmindedly traced the outline of window on the adjacent wall.

'_Would he have really done that for just anybody? This is Ash we're talking about here. He's been known to act first and ask questions later.'_ She giggled at that thought. But her smiled soon faded as another thought crossed her mind.

'_Why…why did I hug him like that? We're friends and all but still it must've made him uncomfortable. Do…I…? No! He's just a really close friend, that's all. No…I can't l-'_

"May? Hey are you alright?" Her thought bubble was interrupted once Ash came into her line of focus. She jumped slightly, giving him a frightened look before cowering down and returning to her old state.

"D-don't sneak up on me like that." She warned with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She was trying to still her rapidly beating heart as he gave her his usual sheepish grin, sitting down in the chair he was before.

'_I didn't think I snuck up on her…oh well.'_ The boy shrugged, getting settling in to his seat, a tray of food in his arms. May finally took notice when her nose picked up on the smell of pancakes. I looked over to see him wielding a tray that held a plate of short stacks, a bowl of soup and two cups of orange juice. Her mouth slightly watered at the sight.

"Oh yeah! Here you go May." He said, fixing her food in a way that it would be directly on her lap. She nodded in gratitude and took in its delicious smell.

"Is this regular chicken soup?" she asked. He nodded, pouring maple syrup over his pancakes.

"It smells great. Thanks Ash." He shrugged off that gesture as she began reaching for a spoon. Suddenly her muscles began to feel very tense and stiff. She cringed at the feeling and immediately dropped the spoon, resulting in it landing in the bowl and splashing her face lightly. She groaned with an evident frown on her face.

Ash noticed her discomfort and defeated look. There were spots of soup sliding down her slightly red cheeks. He watched as she began reaching for a napkin but retracted her hand with a look of pain in her eyes. He knew that she was hurting but she didn't want to say anything.

'_That's just like May to try to conceal her pain.'_ He said to himself as he reached for the napkin, surprising both her and himself. He handed it to her with a warm smile on his face. She smiled slightly and tried to take it from him but found herself unable to do so.

"I…I can't. It hurts too bad." She exclaimed. Ash laid that napkin back on the tray and just stared at her downtrodden expression.

"What hurts?" he asked.

"Everything. All of the sudden my entire body just started aching out of nowhere." She explained.

"Maybe you put too much strain on your body already. Why don't you take it easy." He suggested. But May wasn't going down without a fight.

"But…but I'm still hungry." She argued. Ash looked taken aback.

'_Oh yeah…'_ he gulped, trying to think a solution. One method popped into his mind but he was almost too embarrassed to say. Not being to one to back down from anything, he swallowed hard and cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Uhm…do you want me to…er do it?" he asked awkwardly, earning a weird stare from the girl. She arched her eyebrow at his strange behavior.

"Do what?" she asked. He sighed, running a hand over his face to cover up the blush that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Y-you know…uhm feed you." He stuttered. This time May's eyes widened and with a flash of what looked like anger.

"Feed me? Am I really that weak that I can't feed myself?" she asked, an angry scowl on her face. Ash immediately straightened, not wanting to face her wrath.

"N-no! I was just offering since you seemed to be struggling. Forget I even asked." He said, trying to loosen himself up. Returning to his meal he heard May sigh to which he looked up to see her wearing a sad pout.

"I…I guess you can…feed me…" she whispered, wearing a red blush across her face like it was a fashion statement. Ash let out a long breath before positioning the chair so that he was in the perfect spot to perform his…task.

'_I never thought I'd be doing something like this. She must really be completely drained.' _He thought to himself. He dipped the spoon in the still piping hot soup. Cautiously he brought it up to her lips and waiting for her to put the spoon in her mouth. He watched as she slowly swallowed. How her lips curled over the spoon with each bite. Without even realizing it, he began to look at her differently.

The feeding went on like that for a while until the bowl was empty. Ash took the tray from her lap and set it aside. Just as he was about to make short work of his short stacks, he noticed May was quiet and almost depressed. Being the concerned friend that he was, he couldn't eat knowing something was upsetting her. But she seemed to catch onto his worry.

"I'm sorry Ash." She whispered, gripping the sheets below her as tightly as she could without hurting her hands. Ash gave her a concerned glance, not understanding what she could be apologizing for.

"May, what are you-"

"For being such a bother to you. I'm sorry that you had to do that for me." His heart twisted within his chest when a single tear fell from her sad blue eyes and he found himself reaching out to brush it away. She looked up at him in surprise, the sadness still present.

"There's no reason to cry or to apologize May. I didn't mind doing what I did and you shouldn't feel bad for me okay? You're my friend and I'll do anything I have to do to make sure you get better. Just don't cry, okay?" he said, offering a thumbs up. May gave off a surprised look but smiled despite her skepticism.

"O-okay." She responded through her sniffles. Ash nodded in response, finally able to eat his long awaited breakfast. May smiled while watching him eat. Her viewing didn't last long for her eyes lids began to feel heavy. Before long, she was sleeping peacefully. Ash looked up to see her eyes closed and her chest moving up and down slowly. He smiled and tucked her in before getting up with both trays in his arms.

"Sweet Dreams May." He whispered before stepping out of the door and closing it behind him. He was about to make his way back to the cafeteria when he heard a commotion coming from the lobby. He was confused since this area was scarcely populated. His curiosity got the better of him as he found himself wandering towards the front.

Once he got there he noticed a large crowd of trainers. Some of them were holding tiny notepads that resembled autograph books. Others were holding and flashed both disposable and digital cameras. Apparently there was some kind of celebrity in the building.

"But who would come all the way out here?" he asked himself. Ash soon found out exactly who came out to the Pokémon Center that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Upon further inspection he found the celebrity to be none other than Petalburg's own Norman Maple. He smiled at the realization.

"Hey, Norman!" Ash called, waving the hand that wasn't wielding the trays. At the sound of his name, the normal type gym leader turned and spotted Ash waving at him. The older man smiled and politely excused himself from his fans to go greet the boy.

"My, it's been a while Ash. How have you been?" Norman asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"As good as I'll ever be, I guess. I'm guessing you're here to see May, right?" Ash asked as he began walking back the way he came.

"Yeah I am. Do you know how she is?" the father asked, the worry evident in his voice.

"She's fine. I was just in there. She's asleep right now, but she's been doing fine ever since she woke up this morning." Norman nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Good, take me to her room, will you?" he asked. Ash obliged and let Norman follow him as he took him to May's room.

"Do you have any idea what happened to her?" the boy asked, making conversation.

"I wish I did but I don't." Norman shrugged. Ash nodded and opened the door to the girl's room.

**Kris: Chapter complete!**

**AJ: Friends make secrets, secrets don't make friends!**

**Kris: Who said we were friends? Just kidding!**

**AJ: D:**

**May: Awh! Look at the cute face! :3**

**Mikey: Mom, you are so weird…**

**May: Stop calling me weird!**

**Kris: Okay the secret is I have a new story out!**

**All: Oooooh! Aaaaaah!**

**Kris: Yes! But yeah, check it out and tell me what you think! Oh yeah, sorry for this chapter taking so long!**

**All: Thanks for reading! 4 Sure!**

**R&R**


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